Welcome to LWOS Basketball department “NBA Time Traveler Series,” the column that imagines which retired player from an NBA franchise one would most want to travel back in time to see them play again in their prime. The LWOS Basketball department will review each of the 30 NBA franchises and which retired player would be their “NBA Time Traveler Player.”
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Time Travel To See Dominique Wilkins Play for the Atlanta Hawks
Jacques Dominique Wilkins, better known as the “Human Highlight Film” began his career in 1982 after being drafted by the Utah Jazz with the third pick in the NBA draft. In what is often referred to as the most lopsided trade in NBA history, the Utah Jazz traded Wilkins to the Atlanta Hawks at the beginning of his rookie season for John Drew, Freeman Williams, and cash. Wilkins did not have the desire to play for the Jazz team at the time and their franchise was struggling financially.
As a rookie, Wilkins averaged 17.5 points per game playing small forward for the Atlanta Hawks. His tenure with the Hawks is most notably known for what occurred during the next eleven years. During his sophomore season he averaged 21.6 points per game and this began a streak where he never averaged less than that amount while playing for the Hawks. Wilkins averaged over 30 points for two seasons and came close again during the 1992-93 season when he averaged 29.9 points per game after rupturing his Achilles tendon the previous year. Wilkins would have won the scoring title that year if it weren’t for Michael Jordan.
Even though Wilkins did not win an NBA championship for the Atlanta Hawks, his personal success did translate to success for the team as well. Beginning with the 1985-86 season, the Hawks won at least 50 games for four straight seasons and were not below the 500 mark frequently as a team. The Hawks advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 1988 where they faced Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. In one of the most memorable games of Wilkin’s career, he scored 47 points in a game seven that they loss by two points.
Wilkins earned his nickname throughout his career by making spectacular play after spectacular play. Because of his high-flying playmaking ability he was invited to participate in the NBA Slam-Dunk contest five times over his career and was a two-time winner of the competition. Wilkins is still involved with the Slam-Dunk contest as he can be seen on the sideline every year judging the competition.
In a surprise move on February 24, 1994 the Atlanta Hawks traded the 34 year old Wilkins and a first round pick to the Clippers for Danny Manning at the trade deadline. The Atlanta Hawks were in first place in their conference and Wilkins was the leading scorer on the team at the time. The issue may have been that Wilkins was in the last year of his contract and the Hawks did want to have to negotiate a new contract with a 35 year old player.
Dominique Wilkins retired as the Atlanta Hawks’ all-time leading scoring and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1986 and the All-NBA second team four times in his career. Wilkins made the NBA All-Star team nine years in a row between 1986 and 1994. His final career averages were 24.8 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, and a total of 1,378 career steals. Wilkins also holds the record for most free throws made in a row in one game, which occurred in 1992 against the Chicago Bulls when he made 23 free throws.
After officially retiring from the NBA in 1999, Wilkins accepted a front office role with the Hawks in 2004, serving as the team’s Vice President of Basketball and color analyst. The Hawks retired his #21 jersey in 2001 and in 2014 the team unveiled a statue of Wilkins in front of the Philips Arena. Dominique Wilkins was a part of an era where players were able to stay with their respective teams longer than their first contract. This allowed him to build a legacy with the Atlanta Hawks franchise. He was a dynamic scorer when he entered the league and learned to become a dynamic player throughout his career. It would be quite an experience to time travel to see Dominique Wilkins play for the Atlanta Hawks again.
